But he left Laird out of the squad for today's game and there remains doubt - at least externally - on the defensive capability of Tambling and Jaensch.

If Brown has an edge, it's his ability to shut down opponents.

"I think that's one of my best attributes, shutting down an opponent. But I'm also trying to work on my attacking side," he said.

"They (Tambling and Jaensch) might be a different way - attacking coming into defending."

Brown has always taken every goal his opponent kicks personally.

He showed this in the SANFL while playing for Norwood against Sturt in mid-2011.

The Redlegs won the game by 64 points but Sturt livewire Luke Crane, who Brown stood for much of the night, still managed to kick five goals.

Brown copped a bit of ribbing about it after the game and it ate away at him.

"When he kicked his goals he was playing in the midfield," Brown said.

"I was on someone else . . . I was getting a bad rap with people saying he kicked all these goals on me but I wasn't on him."

All though essentially he had nothing to prove, Brown eagerly awaited his next match-up with Magarey Medallist and silenced him in another Norwood win in which Crane had just six kicks.

I had to do it the hard way and I guess I'll take a lot of out that

Brown was at it again when discussing his performance in the first three games of this pre-season against St Kilda, Port Adelaide and Fremantle.

"I had (Stephen) Milne first game. I was on the bench when he kicked his goal. When I was on him he only had one handball," Brown said.

"Against Port I was on Kane Mitchell. He didn't kick a goal.

"Freo I was on (Michael) Walters but the interchange was pretty hard . . .

"We were getting a bit lost. He'd come off and someone else would come on and I'd take them. And then he'd come on again. From the second quarter onwards my sole focus was `if he's on, just go to him'."

Walters had just three disposals after quarter-time.

While Brown is as competitive as they come once he crosses the white line, off field you might as well call him Luke Beige.

He says he has few interests outside football and is the only player in Adelaide's 40-man squad who still lives at home.

That's why an off-field incident in which he had his teeth knocked out last summer was so frustrating.

Brown spouts a line about it being "a good learning experience" but what lesson is there to learn for an innocent bystander who gets punched in the mouth?

"Just to watch out," Brown said.

"I had to do it the hard way and I guess I'll take a lot of out that."

There's no doubt the Crows overpaid to get Brown on their list.

They could have got him for virtually nothing in the 2011 rookie draft. But despite testing him, Adelaide wasn't convinced and instead selected Tim Milera, Jake von Bertouch, Lachlan Roach, Ian Callinan and Sam Martyn. Only Callinan remains on the list two years later.

Determined to make sure Brown didn't slip through their fingers again, the Crows coughed up picks 10 and 11 in the national draft to secure the young Redleg and talented Victorian Brad Crouch.

If Brown becomes a long-serving player and Crouch develops into the elite midfielder most believe he can be, the draft deal will be justified.

Norwood coach Nathan Bassett - who rated Brown as his best defender in last year's SANFL grand final, ahead of Jack Oatey Medallist Dean Terlich - believes his former charge will fulfil his end of the bargain.

"He's fast, clean and a good kick," Bassett said. "He'll be a 150- to 200-game back pocket for the Crows."